


What If?

by dinui_parjai



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Battlefront (Video Games)
Genre: Asexual Character, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Nightmares, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25321402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinui_parjai/pseuds/dinui_parjai
Summary: What if Jeosyn hadn’t been a disaster? If it had all just been a nightmare, and Inferno Squad was still whole?
Relationships: Del Meeko & Gideon Hask, Del Meeko & Shriv Suurgav, Del Meeko/Iden Versio, Iden Versio & Shriv Suurgav, Iden Versio and Del Meeko & Shriv Suurgav, Seyn Marana & Del Meeko, Seyn Marana & Del Meeko & Iden Versio, Seyn Marana & Del Meeko & Iden Versio & Shruv Suurgav, Seyn Marana & Gideon Hask, Seyn Marana & Gideon Hask & Del Meeko, Seyn Marana & Gideon Hask & Del Meeko & Iden Versio, Seyn Marana & Iden Versio, Seyn Marana & Shriv Suurgav, Seyn Marana & Weston Morro
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a short one, guys, more of a brain dump or a drabble. Probably only about 3 chapters.

The rest of the Dreamers had drawn their own weapons. Iden and her team might be able to take down only a couple of them before the Dreamers killed them. But take them down, they would. She tightened her grip on the weapon and looked directly at Seyn. See it in my eyes, she pleaded silently, then looked away from the girl to glance at the partisans and her team. They nodded, ever so slightly.

Seyn was a member of Inferno Squad. She was one of them, and they were in. 

If they all attacked at the same moment, they stood a better chance.

Iden squared her shoulders and prepared to turn back to face Seyn. But even as she started to move, there was a flurry of movement and a horrible wailing sound of fury.

The Dreamers had beaten them to it. 

No! Iden whirled, stabbing forward with the glowing blue blade. Impaling- 

_Seyn…_

Iden woke with a start, sweat covering her body even in the cool air of the sleeping cavern. Nobody else was awake, except for whoever was on guard. Iden didn’t know who it was at the moment, but she could see Del’s sleeping figure not too far away, and could hear Hask snoring. Seyn had set up her sleeping pallet close to Iden’s, and Iden felt herself cautiously leaning forward to check to make sure Seyn was still breathing.

She was. 

Who was Iden kidding? Seyn was fine. She'd just had a nightmare.

“Are you alright?” Seyn whispered, without even opening her eyes. Iden thought it was odd but replied anyway. 

“Just had a nightmare.” Iden slowly laid back down, staring at the glowing ceiling of the cavern. 

The youngest member of Inferno Squad said nothing in return, but there was a rustling noise, and suddenly Seyn was moving her sleeping pallet directly next to Iden’s. A few weeks ago, that would not have been possible, as Iden was closely watched. Now, with Azen gone, everyone more or less trusted her. The cavern was mostly separated into a girls’ side and a boys’ side, with the girls’ having much more space between bodies. Iden realized now that Dahna was the one who was gone on watch.

It wasn’t like they could talk freely, but Iden felt the need to say something anyway. “Are you alright?”

Seyn was silent for two heartbeats. “I… I don’t know. I don’t feel like myself. Being a slave, I’ve lost a lot, and Sadori was just another thing to add to the list. But I’m not... “Even as she was speaking half in code, Seyn’s dark eyes matched Iden’s. “I don’t feel motivated to do anything. I can’t focus.”

Seyn was asking for help, even under the guise of the slave. For guidance, even if she had reassured Iden that she was fine before.

Iden wished she could think back to her nightmare, to what had caused Seyn to blow her cover. If she could warn the girl, perhaps there was a way to stop it. But the memory of her dream was already fading.

In the dark, Iden reached for Seyn’s hand. Nobody could have known what she said next, as she tapped out a rhythm of words onto Seyn’s palm. They’d developed it in the few moments they were ever in the same cavern, and the only reason Iden even caught on was because Del and Seyn were constantly tapping with one of their hands, nodding before tapping out thirty-four unique rhythms for every letter of the Aurebesh alphabet. Over and over again, and Iden had practiced.

_This… ends… soon. Be… careful…_

_I will._

And that was all. She saw Seyn and Del talking the next day, which wasn’t unusual, neither was Del speaking to his “brother” Gid.

They all knew that it was time. 

So close to being time, yet Iden could see the strain on Seyn’s face, the edges of her mouth twitch as she eavesdropped on languages that were not Basic or Huttese.

_No,Seyn._

Iden only half focused on the Mentor, hearing him talk about his frustration with Azen’s betrayal and Staven’s “leadership”. Her eyes were on Seyn, and the way she listened to Dahna and Piikow, her brown eyes cutting back and forth between that conversation, and that of the Kages.

The Kages, who were the opposite of Seyn’s supposed demeanor. Who carried weapons at all times in contrast to Seyn’s weaponless, petite form.

_Wait…_

Iden’s eyes zeroed in on Ru Vushan’s belt, at the-

The vibroblade.

The one from her dreams.

_Oh._

She must have had a physical adverse reaction to it, because suddenly, the Mentor leaned forward. “Iden? Are you alright?”

“I… I don’t feel well all of the sudden.” Iden half lied. 

“You’ve gone flush.” He said gently, and Seyn looked up and locked eyes with Iden. 

_Focus on me…_ Iden tapped, even as she pretended to act sick. “I’m fine. I may have just eaten something, is all. Too many eggs?”

“Here’s some water.” Seyn had gotten the message, breaking her concentration of the eavesdropping without hesitation to “tend” to her captain.

“Thanks, Seyn.” Iden gave a thankful smile and sipped from the proffered flask. Beside her, the Mentor still watched the two women with concern, but did not care if the two interacted. In fact, he thought it was good for “Seyn the slave” to be opening up to people. He had raised a daughter, he probably dismissed Iden’s troubles as relating to the female gender and let her go without much suspicion.

He was too kind for his own good.

“You really don’t look good, Iden. You should go lie down.”Seyn spoke almost loudly, and Dahna and Piikow stopped talking to look as the two women of Inferno Squad seemed to stumble back to the sleeping cavern. They sat down together on Iden’s bedroll. “Thank you.”Seyn murmured. “I don’t know how much longer I could have held my tongue.”

“I could tell you were struggling.”Iden admitted, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “Seyn. You’re not okay. I’m not letting you go on with this. No more eavesdropping. We have enough information already.”

“But there’s still so much I could learn!” Seyn protested immediately.

“I just said we had enough.”Iden said, sternly.

“Yes, captain.”Seyn bit her lip. “I’m sorry if I was out of line.”

Iden immediately felt guilty for making Seyn doubt herself. “It’s not you Seyn. I.. I can’t explain it, but I had this nightmare, and in it, you died. I had to kill you because you blew your cover.” 

“Well then, I deserved it.” Seyn said quietly. “I endangered the mission. You would have had no choice.”

“I would certainly have had one, and I would have chosen to save your life.” Iden said.

“But the Admiral said-”

“I don’t care what he said!” Iden snapped. “If it comes to a choice between one of my team or the mission, I’ll choose the team every time.”

“Even if it means risking the Admiral’s favor?”

“Especially so.”Iden said, trying for a bit of humor. It worked, and Seyn gave a tiny smile. 

“I’d better go back to the others. You should “rest” a bit.” Seyn said, leaving Iden’s side. Iden watched the younger woman leave and then stared up at the ceiling for several moments.

It was almost as if Seyn didn’t care if she died. Almost as if she _wanted_ to.

_No._

Iden looked to her past and refused to let Seyn mimic that younger, depressed version of Iden that she had worked hard to leave behind. No matter what it took.

|o| |o| |o| |o|

“We still have a mission to complete.” Iden reminded the men through the comlink. She was so thankful for the fact that it seemed as if the conflict was over, with Seyn promising not to do anything else that could bring the team harm. “I almost let her slip up. But we are a team, and we will act like one. I want us to close ranks around her. Someone watch her at all times.”

“Iden, don’t you think-” Hask began.

“That’s enough, Hask.” Iden wasn’t sure when she’d begun calling him that. But over the past few weeks, she’d seen the true nature of her friend, even if he was supposed to be undercover. And it sickened her, and guilt ate at her, replacing the fear of what she could have done to Seyn.

“We will find the source of the partisan’s information and start the inevitable, final toppling of them as any threat to the Empire. No more long games. We act, and we act decisively, quickly, and with complete coordination. The beginning of the end starts _now_.”

_Before I'm wrong. Before I’m too late, and Seyn slips up. Before something happens to Del or Hask. Before I fail my team._

_This ends now._

|o| |o| |o| |o|

With impeccable timing, Staven went off to drink, Del lured Piikow and the Mentor away, and left Iden alone with Hask and Seyn. Seyn was off by herself, pretending to work on something for Staven after refusing the Dahna and the Kage’s offerings to have her along on their supply run. She played it easily enough, but Iden wondered how difficult it really was for Seyn to refuse. She was glad that she did, and proud of her for doing so.

And so, with Hask (again, Iden couldn’t recall when she’d begun calling Gideon by his surname, but now, he was calling her Captain.) standing as an odd guard, she began putting her plan into action. It was all based off of Seyn, really. She was the one who had helped feed Iden’s belief that the Mentor was the leak. 

They were both right. Iden discovered information that stunned her in the journal he foolishly kept. After finishing, she put it back as if to look like it had been ransacked. Although she hadn’t directly found the information, they still had a plan B and put it into motion by comming the team. Hask would vouch for her, as he had been with her the entire time and saw her leave on a run. When she went back to the sleeping area to change, she passed Seyn, who was not working as hard as she normally was.

“Are you alright?”Iden asked again. She hoped it wasn’t patronizing, but after seeing Seyn’s small frame being mutilated by the vibroblade in her dreams, at Iden’s hand, no less, she felt like years of Seyn were falling away. She looked younger in Iden’s eyes every time she saw her.

“We were right about the Mentor. I went through his things and found all the proof I need to assume he has the information with him. I’ll have to get it, somehow. I just need you to hang on for a little bit longer, and then we’ll be out of here.”

“I don’t need you looking after me. I’m fine. I just have to remind myself that I can’t trust anyone.”

Iden took a moment before responding, pulling a new shirt over her head. It was the general workout uniform of an Imperial officer, stolen from who knew where, but Iden was thankful for the familiarity,

“I’m not looking after you. I’m ordering you to stay focused. Del and Hask are watching out, too. I know you don’t like Hask very much, so if you find yourself in trouble while I’m not around, you can talk to Del. I’m going on a run.”

“Yes, captain.” She said, silently. Seyn was still shaken up. Not about evading death the other day with Iden’s help, but also from having to defend herself against Piikow’s bringing up the second explosion at the factory. Seyn had told the truth, because it wouldn’t hurt, but now Sadori’s parents seemed to still blame her for the death of their son, as if 1.5 meter,hardly 50 kilo Seyn should have been able to stop him. 

What was worse, Hask was almost treating the younger girl like a liability. Iden had reminded him that Seyn was a rookie, and her performance would be evaluated later. Not now. Right now, she was still a part of the team.

“There may be a bit of a fight tonight, so be ready.” Iden warned before she left.

It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d warned her or not. She and Del both had seemed extra surprised by the violent side of the Mentor, and their expressions only fed the ruse. Hask seemed less than impressed, but that was just his alpha-male sociopathic nature showing through.

And so, after deciding he needed to calm down, the Mentor had left, and Iden went after him, leaving her team alone with the Dreamers. Staven pulled Hask away, and when he came back the blonde-headed man looked ready for action. The gleam in his eye that made Seyn nervous. Especially when Hask turned to his “brother”. 

“Iden’s gone to deal with the Mentor. He’s the leak.” He said quietly.

Seyn stepped closer to the two men. “What are you two planning?”

“We’re-“ Del began, but Hask cut him off. 

“Iden is gone which means I’m in charge. Especially of you, Seyn.” He leaned in a bit too close and she cringed. “You may be a member of this team but you are not part of the plan right now.”

“Gid...”Del cut in again, not knowing why he had gone so harsh on Seyn like that. “I don’t even know if I _want_ to be a part of this plan. Iden wouldn’t want-“

“Well, Iden’s not here now, is she?” Hask lifted his blaster to his shoulder casually, and from where Seyn had gone back to sitting it looked as if he were just talking to Del about something and showing off his weapon in a bout of friendly competition. But his intent was anything but friendly. 

“Iden’s gone to take care of the Mentor, and it’s our job to take care of things here. _Permanently._ Go get the ship.” Hask said, and Del nodded, jogging off.

“Hask, no!” Seyn said when she saw him switch his blaster off of stun. A few of the Dreamers turned to where Seyn was, no doubt wondering who "Hask" was. Staven’s eyes narrowed at her like he was annoyed and he looked at “Gid”. But before he could comment on anything, Hask whipped the blaster and shot him point blank in the chest. The man couldn’t even touch his own weapon. Staven fell, still looking shocked. 

Time stood still for a moment. Seyn was horrified, looking at the man she thought was her friend until he fired again, as Ru Vushan drew his vibroblade and charged. He fell, and his wife was not too far behind. 

“Hask! Stop!” Seyn begged. Surely, now that the deadliest of the bunch were dead, he would stop. But no.

Dahna didn’t seem all that bothered by the thought of dying. No, Seyn realized with an expression too extreme to be just guilt. The Twi-lek woman was headed towards her, to protect her instinctively, before Hask shot her in the back and she fell, somewhat gracefully, to the ground.

Then Piikow: tiny, frail Piikow, looked up at the two men and blinked his giant eyes. Seyn knew that Del wanted to save him, to not let him suffer, lucky a blaster was the fastest and easiest way to do so. 

“What have you done!” Seyn screamed before she even knew what she was doing. Suddenly, she was on Hask, even though he was bigger and taller and stronger than her but she was wailing, and tearing at him like she could hurt him. 

Del returned then, after hearing blaster fire, and his eyes didn’t register what had transpired. All he saw was Hask forcibly throwing Seyn to the ground and pointing his blaster and then he was on top of Hask, albeit much more effectively. He had him in a choke hold after a few moments and Hask was roaring with anger- he had foolishly forgotten that Del was just as strong as he was, and taller. 

“Let me go!” Hask gasped, clawing at Del’s grip. 

“Do you see what you did?” Del screamed, making sure to force Hask to look at the five bodies in front of him. “What you’ve done? These were not the captain’s orders!” 

Hask elbowed Del, and because of the angle Del had him at it struck the older man in the groin, and even training couldn’t have prepared him for that kind of hit. Hask dropped away as Del doubled over in pain.

“You almost blew our cover!” Hask yelled at Seyn, who was still on the ground.

“What did it matter? You were going to kill them anyway.” Seyn spoke in a normal tone, but tears were streaming freely. “That was too much, Hask. Even for us.” Watching Hask out of one eye, Seyn rose and walked for where Del was still doubled over and helped him up, silently thanking whoever was listening that she would never know pain like that.

“Good luck explaining this.” Del said, hobbling beside Seyn as they made for the ship. The worst part of all was how nonchalant about it Hask was. He even seemed proud, or gleeful, and Seyn scowled as she heard him tell Iden about the surprise he had for her. 

Del and Seyn said nothing to Hask after that. Del leaned heavily on the ship and hid his face, grimacing from pain and emotion, and Seyn sat at his feet, numb, with her arms around her legs that were pulled to her chest.

This mission had made her totally rethink her place on this team. And when Iden came back, Seyn (and Del, it seemed) found slight consolation in the fact that she was as mad and disgusted as they were. She had yelled at Hask, and then they had all stood in awe as the purple statues Del had spoken of came and retrieved the bodies of the Dreamers. 

So, what Del had excitedly told Seyn was almost right, then. The statues _were_ connected to brain waves, but it was the lack of them. Seyn was too much in shock to care. 

Iden came over to her and gently pulled her into her arms. Iden seemed as surprised as Seyn was at the fact she was hugging her, and Seyn almost felt guilty for melting into it and sobbing.


	2. Chapter 2

When the time came, Seyn defected too. Maybe it was the Empire, maybe it was Hask, maybe she was following Iden’s orders as well as her heart. 

And from the looks of things, she wasn’t the only one who followed her heart. Iden and Del were making moony eyes at each other any time she looked.

Right after they defected, she had caught them in a tender moment, sitting knee to knee on a couple of crates, quietly discussing the future. 

It was almost as if Seyn wasn’t there. 

She knew that Del wanted to join the Rebellion. She knew that Iden would _never_ do such a thing. But she also felt like Iden would never leave them.

“Del, _we’re_ Inferno Squad.” She heard Iden say. Her heart leapt a bit. She had never heard Iden speak so softly. So _tenderly._ And she could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen Iden smile.

It was obvious that she cared for Del. In the same way she had cared for Sadori. Or maybe…. maybe what they had was more. _Real romantic love_.

She almost felt back for intruding, but she had an opinion,too.

“I’d like to join the rebels as well.” She said, and they both turned towards her. Del smiled and opened his arms in a “see?” gesture.

“Then I guess we’re turning ourselves in.” Iden decided. “Let’s hope we don’t go to prison.”

|o| |o| |o|

They did go to prison, briefly, for only a few moments before a Rebel general came to talk to them. His name was Lando Clarissian, but Seyn knew that even before he introduced himself. She had seen his face before, and knew all that he’d done. 

_He was the one who destroyed the second Death Star,_ Seyn thought, thinking back to that fateful day when they had looked into the sky and been amazed at the destruction. Seyn hadn’t liked it, but she’d accepted it.

 _Those_ had been necessary casualties. Not like what the children in the factory would have been, back when Sadori died.

They had been soldiers, and fighters, and even a few rebels themselves, imprisoned upon ships or in the Death Star’s brig.

_Necessary casualties._

The people of Vardos and Naboo were not necessary casualties, either. So Seyn decided to fight for the side that wasn’t as murderous.

When she was driven from her thoughts, Seyn was aware of General Clrissian offering them ships to either leave (escape) or fight. Del made it clear that he wanted to fight, and Iden understood that there was no hiding from the Empire, so she accepted.

“I think I’d be of more use to the Rebellion if I stayed on the ship.” Seyn said. “I haven’t even told you half of what I know. I have an eidetic memory.”

“It’s true.”Del spoke up, a proud look in his twinkling green eyes.

Iden and Del, “mom and dad” looked at each other. Seyn could tell that Del had easily picked up on her plan. She was also staying on the Rebel flagship as collateral, assurance that they would come back for her. Iden didn’t seem to have picked up on that yet.

“Meet us on Naboo when everything’s over.” She said, and then turned back to Calrissian. “We’ll take the ships.”

>v< >v< >v<

As promised, Seyn made it to the Naboo palace as soon as the fight was over. She had gotten looks, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Most of the rebels trusted her, as she had literally given them _everything_ she knew about the Empire. 

The flight suit she had been given to wear didn’t fit, and so she had instead scoured a lost and found for pants and a shirt that could fit her small frame. They all had looked in the lost and found, actually, but Iden was the only one with much success. Del’s flight suit ended up as capris on his long legs, and it may have been the first time Seyn even realized how tall he was, not just bigger and stronger than she.

She could see why Iden was attracted to him. He was the opposite of everything Iden had experienced from the men in her life.

So he wasn’t exactly Seyn’s type. If she even had one. She wasn’t sure.

“What next?” She asked the two of them, coming towards the pillars. Iden and Del both looked like they were almost startled by her, and part of her wondered exactly what she had walked in on. Another tender moment.

Great. She didn’t want to become the annoying little sister. Or who knows? It could be fun.

Del began to fidget with the limp droid in his hands. Iden smiled at Seyn. “We’re officially a part of the New Republic.” She declared, and Seyn couldn’t help but feel almost _excited._

“Let’s go get Hask.”

>v< >v< >v<

Seyn had noticed the tender looks between Del and Iden, and it had escalated to sleeping together. Exactly how “together” Seyn wasn’t sure, and it also wasn’t her business. 

There was one point where Iden had come back to the ship with a burned hand. The _Corvus_ had a medbay, of course, but she had caught Del holding her hand and bandaging it, kissing her knuckles ever so gently. She had seen the way Iden looked at him, and her heart swelled. 

They were happy, and she was glad. She just wished they didn’t feel the need to _hide_ it. 

“You care about him, don’t you?” She asked Iden after plopping down on her bunk, uninvited. 

“There’s no hiding from you, is there?” Iden asked, rolling her eyes. 

“I’m just observant. You two are all over each other. Just kiss already.”

“How do you know we haven’t already?” 

“Please.” Seyn scoffed. “He leaves your room with _bed_ head. Not _sex_ head, you two are just cuddling.”

“Right again.” Iden said. Then her face fell, slightly. “I guess we… we both miss Hask, and it caused us to gravitate towards each other. Don’t get me wrong, Seyn, I don’t want to exclude you, but-“

“Don’t worry. I get it.”

“You- you do?” 

“You’re probably just touch starved.” Seyn shrugged, fiddling with her fingers. “We all get that sometimes.”

“Even you?”

“No.”

Iden clicked her tongue. “Seyn….”

“Sometimes.” Seyn shrugged. “But you already know, I’m sure, that Del gives really good hugs.” She gave Iden a mischievous smile. “And he likes the color red.”

“How do you know _that?!”_

Seyn just gave Iden a look. “I’m observant, remember?”

Iden shook her head fondly and swiped at Seyn with a pillow. “Get out of my room.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Seyn grinned as she left. 

They had a few minutes until they arrived at Bespin. Iden had briefed them, and they had all gone to prepare.

Del hadn’t wanted Seyn to come planetside with him (he was protective that way) but then Iden had pointed out to him that she needed closure, too. Hask was down at the station and it was time to get him.

“Stay close to us, then.” He murmured, and Seyn nodded. 

“Always do.”

The three disembarked. Iden and Del began to flirt like they forgot she was there, and it was actually really sweet, and really got Seyn thinking. 

_What_ did _come next?_

Del’s idea of exploring the galaxy actually sounded _really nice._ Seyn could easily see the three of them doing that, or maybe just the two of them while she found something else. Del needed closure on his life as a stormtrooper just as much as anybody. 

And he sure as hell deserved it.

>v< >v< >v<

Chinook station’s landing platforms were small, even by X-wing standards and there was hardly space between the three fighters. 

Mission oriented Iden was already jogging for the stairs, where Dio scanned too many troopers for them to handle without sneaking up on some of them.

Iden was good at stealth, and Seyn was stronger than she looked, and they each took out a trooper without any problem and they all pressed on. Once all the troopers were taken care of and before they went in the door, Iden knelt down and pulled off a trooper’s helmet. 

“I have an idea.” She said, looking at Del. “You’re not going to like it."

Seyn discovered that it wasn’t so much the concept of being a trooper that Del didn’t like, but the fact that he couldn’t find armor that fit him. 

“We’ve lost too much time.” Iden murmured. “Seyn, think you could go back to the _Corvus_ and help monitor with Shriv?”

“It would be a bit odd to see three troopers wandering around. Two or four is better.” Del went on. 

“But this is about getting Hask. I want to be there when it happens.” 

“Well if you stay with us, there won’t be any getting Hask!” Iden exclaimed, irritated. “Just get back to the ship.”

“Iden, I’ll go.” Del tried.” I have a terrible disguise anyway-“

“ _No_.” 

Hurt, Seyn began to backtrack. What had happened to her deserving closure, too? 

Getting back was easy enough, under the cloud cover. She did notice, however, how _visible_ the _Corvus_ was. Shriv or Caton must’ve miscalculated. 

“Get back behind cover!” She exclaimed, marching back onto the bridge.

“Woah, hey, kid. Where’s Iden?”

“She-“ Seyn felt her cheeks flush. “She sent me back. There was a complication.”

“Oh.”

“What do you mean we need to move?” Caton wondered. 

“They’ve got better tech. Radars have likely scanned the _Corvus_ already. Iden and Del may be in trouble. Hask may already-“ she gulped. “He may already be gone.”

“Sir!” Cried a technician. “Star Destroyer taking off, .45.”

“Alright, prepare to move…” Caton decided, giving Seyn a wayward glance. 

>v<>v<>v<

They didn’t catch Hask, and Seyn was annoyed beyond belief. But not as much as Iden. She was so mad she was _punching_ Del while angry tears streamed from her face. And Del just took it. And then, when she was done, he had gathered her into his arms and held her 

But other than that, they celebrated defeating the three Star Destroyers. That was pretty cool- and it really set back Iden’s father. They learned about Sullust and the Empire’s interest there. They went to Sullust- and it was there that Seyn realized just how serious Iden and Del were when she heard _noises_ coming from the ready room. She wasn’t sure exactly _what_ was going on, but if Shriv hadn’t called for that pickup-

She shuddered a bit, but a part of her was actually laughing. She was _waiting_ for the two of them to hook up. Just, now? Really? What did they expect, of _course_ they were going to be interrupted. 

All of that aside, the battles were over. Now they were onto Jakku for the end of the war.

>v< >v< >v<

Seyn stayed on the _Corvus_ to help with analysis. She knew how ships worked, and could calculate trajectory in seconds. There were ten Star Destroyers present, the last of the Empire’s precious fleet, and they were throwing everything they had left.

“How’s it going up there?” Iden asked, from the ground.

Del was smiling at Seyn as he replied. “Hard to tell, but I think the Empire is _losing!”_

“I think you’re right. I can feel it.” Iden said. “It’s almost over. Today, the Empire dies.”

She had once said the same thing about the Rebellion. Obviously it didn't work out. Iden hoped she hadn’t just jinxed their chances.

“Better late than never.” Shriv decided.

Seyn couldn’t agree more. But then-

Del’s eyes widened in worry. “Commander, we might have a problem.”

He said it just in time, as TIE bombers made a run straight for his ship and bombed the hull, shaking the entire vessel. Del yelped and fell onto the console while other crew members suffered worse injuries and began to yell.

Del’s eyes squinted in fear and disbelief as a colossal Super Star Destroyer came into view.

“What is that?” Iden asked nervously.

“Your father.” Del said grimly. “He’s found us.”

Seyn watched with horror as squads of bombers attacked, one run successfully knocking her and most of the bridge off balance. She clung to Del, who straightened and helped her up and watched as Iden and Shriv’s two small fighters engaged…

Hask.

Seyn didn’t comprehend most of his taunting. It was mostly aimed at Iden anyway.

But it didn't matter that Iden had a whole squadron of TIEs on her. She was a far better pilot than any of them, Hask included. He had overestimated her skills from the comfort of his special TIE Interceptor and paid the ultimate price for it. After all his talk, and all his threats, everyone watched as Hask’s ship crashed into Jakku’s surface.

But Iden kept going, convinced that she could save her father, unlike she had saved Hask. There was nothing Seyn or Del could say, and they watched as her ship crashed into the _Eviscerator._

“Iden?” Del asked, voice rising in worry after he saw her X-wing be obliterated before it hit the ground. “Iden?!”

Seyn knew he wasn’t just worried for a friend, but also a woman he deeply cared about. Whom he _loved._ But she was so reckless, the opposite of careful, calculated Del-

“I’m okay, Del.” Iden said, and Seyn released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I’m going to find a way inside. You and Shriv follow the next distress signal.”

“Iden, no way! We’re coming back for you _right now!”_

This was not what she needed right now. “No you’re not! That’s an order!” 

And she cut the comms. 

There was no way for them to convince her to come back.

So they followed Iden’s orders, floating from distress call to distress call until Dio got their attention with frantic beeping.

_Escape pod._

Iden had used an escape pod from her father’s destroyer.

Del didn’t waste a minute. He ran for the ramp, slapping the button to lower it and hardly waiting for it to touch the ground before he jumped off and into Jakku’s sands. Shriv and Seyn followed, albeit much more calmly and much more confusedly as they began to get lost through the endless sand dunes. Then, Dio showed up to guide them, floating around Shriv like an annoying bug.

They crossed a dune and-

Oh.

_Oh._

Del and Iden were straight making out on top of the escape pod. Mouths locked, hands on each other’s waists, and Iden, even though Seyn had always thought of her as having major top energy, was dipped over. 

Shriv made a show of pretending to cover Seyn’s eyes as he cleared his throat.

And then, the three members of Inferno squad embraced. Seyn was lifted off of her feet by Del and his massive height, and Iden squeezed her hard.

_It was over._

>v< >v< >v<

Afterwards, they all went back to the _Corvus_ and began celebrating in their own ways. Shriv offered Seyn a drink, not minding the fact that she technically had a few months to go until she was legal. 

“Just don’t go flying anything.” He said, and winked.

The liquid burned Seyn’s throat unlike anything she’d tasted before, different from the whiskey that Inferno Squad had shared on Inferno Squad, not knowing she was underage.

She wandered back to the bunk rooms, slightly tipsy, and wondered why Del wasn't in his bunk even though it was nearly midnight.

“Where’s Del?” She asked Iden, though her vision must’ve been blurred as she was seeing what seemed like much too large a lump under Iden’s sheets.

Actually, that wasn’t the case when she saw Del rise up from Iden’s other side, shirtless and obviously covered in scratches and… _bite marks?_

Realizing the truth, Seyn dove into her bunk and pulled the covers and her pillow over her head, praying that she would wake up with no recollection of seeing that. She heard Iden chuckle and then whisper something to Del as her? Their? Bunk creaked. 

_How could they both fit?_ Her mind wandered.

 _Shut up,_ Seyn insisted, and drifted asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

It was different, now. The _Corvus_ seemed so… casual, like a group of friends instead of a team of assassins. 

Seyn really liked it. 

One of the first things they had done, though, was separate out space. It wasn’t that bad when they were all virtually on the same schedule, but now Del and Iden were together more often than not, and someone was taking showers at odd hours and Seyn almost never slept, preferring to read and nap intermittently. 

So…. it was awkward.

Now they each had their own rooms and furniture they had acquired now that they had the room and means to do so. Seyn still found herself and Iden camping out in each other’s frequently, and Del’s room was frequently vacant and only used as a workroom.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out where it was he slept. 

Now that they were free of the Empire, Seyn didn’t know what to do with herself. She still had Iden and Del, of course, but they were off doing their own things, or quite possibly each other.

_I need to find my own adventure. I need to venture out, into the unknown. Maybe I can be of some help within the New Republic. I can find a job that fits me-_

_But I don’t want to leave the_ Corvus. _I don’t want to leave my best friends._

Seyn wandered onto the bridge, where crew members relaxed but were still ready to spring into action in a moment. In one of the dugouts, a group including Caton had formed up a card game and invited her to join. She declined, and instead made her way over to Weston Morro, who was watching something on a datapad.

“Oh, hey, Lieutenant.” He said easily. Had Seyn’s rank transferred over? She didn’t think so. 

“Hey, Morro.” She responded cordially. 

“What are you up to?” He continued.

“Trying to figure out what to do with myself. You?”

“Watching a stupid game show.” He said. “I don’t know how but I got hooked to this one where it’s a bunch of trivia.”

“Oh?” Seyn sat next to him to watch.

“I’m not smart, at all. Not like you.” Seyn could tell he was blushing, even if his skin (which was darker than hers) didn’t show it. 

“That’s alright. Anything to pass the time, right?” She shrugged. “Besides. Trivia could be interesting. Though, I didn’t think you were that kind of guy.”

“Are you.. are flirting with me, Seyn?” 

Maybe it was the fact he used her name so easily. Maybe it was because he mentioned flirting, but Seyn stiffened up. “N-no.” She stammered. 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized, blushing even harder now, and mentally smacking his forehead. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Del always told me I need to learn to talk less, smile more.” 

“That’s good advice. It could serve you well.” Seyn said. 

“Do you wanna get a drink or a meal or something?” 

“Not if it’s a date.”

“No! No, it doesn’t have to be.” Morro once again wanted to facepalm. Did _he_ even want it to be a date? No- he just wanted companionship. And he had happened to admire Seyn from afar. 

“I don’t want a relationship with you, Morro. Not like you do. I don’t want a relationship with _anyone._ I don’t feel that way for people. It’s not that there’s something wrong with me, I just- I _can’t.”_

Seyn thought back to Sadori. She hadn’t loved the Kage boy. Not really. She had been surprised by the kiss and guilty for leading him on, but mostly because she betrayed herself. If Seyn had been allowed to, she would have shut him down. But Seyn the slave had needed to pretend to love him romantically. She had hated that.

That didn’t mean she didn’t care when he’d died. She had, in a strong way, but not a romantic one. Intimacy didn’t have to be physical, like kissing.

If Iden wanted to be in a relationship with Del, Seyn was the opposite of feeling like that. 

“I get that.” Morro shrugged, then grinned. “But I would still like to hang out with you. I want to know more random facts about history and famous artists, and how to spell big words. I’d like to be your friend, Seyn. Not just your colleague.”

Seyn smiled back. “Okay.”

>v< >v< >v<

It was fun. Really fun, actually, to talk to someone who wasn’t Iden or Del. For some reason, Seyn had always felt as if the rest of the _Corvus_ was shut off, separate from her, but times were more lenient. She had time to kill, and began to spend it mingling with people she’d never thought would be like her. 

Morro had understood her view of relationships more than she realized,more than she could have asked for. He assured her that if anyone ever tried to pressure her into anything (like Sadori had, even though he couldn’t have known) he would come after her. And so did her other new friends, Leena and Brax and Vali, all other crewmembers.

Seyn was happier than she’d ever been in years, and felt proud of herself for making friends, something she’d _never_ done before, even in grade school. Other students used her, her sister had been jealous of her, and her parents hadn’t known what to do with her and basically left her to her own devices. 

All it took to be normal was… surviving a war. 

It wasn’t just her social life that had changed. One morning, she looked in the mirror, and didn’t even recognize herself. Gone was the childish baby-face that could make her pass for a young teenager. Suddenly her forehead seemed smaller, her eyes sharper, and her cheekbones more defined. Her muscles were noticeable, now, in her shoulders and arms. 

She was a woman, now. At twenty- two years old she may finally be taken seriously in public. 

“Admiring yourself?” Iden asked from behind her, causing Seyn to jump.

“N-no.”

“Why not? I would. You’re really pretty, Seyn.”

“Thank you. So are you.” And it wasn’t automatic. Seyn had always thought of Iden as gorgeous, but would never had imagined of hearing words similar aimed at her. “I finally look older.”

“Caught up to that brain of yours.” Iden said. “Oh, well. No more ordering off of kid’s menus.”

“That was _once!_ ”

Iden chortled. “But it _worked!_ You looked _twelve!”_

“And now I at least look legal to drink.” Seyn turned, bunching her hair into two pigtails like she did when she wanted to look younger. It didn’t work, now. It just looked awkward.

“I feel like a proud older sister, looking at you.” Iden said. 

“You cared for me more than my mother ever did. Give yourself credit, Iden. You and Del were like my parents, not just because Dio says so.”

To her surprise, Iden sighed wistfully a bit and sat down, crossing her legs. “Something… something happened, Seyn. With me and Del.”

Seyn’s heart sank. “Oh no! Are you fighting? Are you second guessing getting married?”

“We’ve been married too long for that, Seyn. Almost four months. That was only a few week after the honeymoon. We figured it out.”

“Every couple has that.” Seyn agreed. “Is it because he’s been gone?” 

“No.” Iden said. “Well, kind of, actually. Um…. I just, I need advice, and now I realize that you’re the wrong person to ask. No offense.”

Seyn immediately got defensive. “No! I want to help!” 

“Okay, okay- fine.” Iden took a breath. “As you know, we’ve only been married a bit and it happened really quickly after Jakku. We just- he’s a lot older than I realized and we wanted to do things quickly, but-“

“Iden, you’re rambling. I know this already.”

“Things have gone too quickly.” Iden finally spat it out. “What I need to know is: how do I, a wife of four months, tell my husband that I’m going to have a baby?”

Seyn’s jaw hit the floor. “You’re pregnant?” She asked, in disbelief. “Already?”

“Gee, thanks.” Iden mumbled. 

“I mean- I see how it’s weird, but come _on,_ Iden. This is _Del._ He’s going to be ecstatic, even if he isn’t ready to be a dad. He’ll make himself ready.”

“Oh, I know he’s ready. We talked about it. We wanted to have kids, but neither of us thought it would come so quickly.” 

“Well, congratulations, first of all.” Seyn beamed. “And second of all… just be honest. Don’t put it off, or he’ll panic when he sees you getting sick every morning.” Seyn turned around. “How far along are you, anyway?”

“About six weeks.” Iden said. “Give or take a few weeks. It all just kinda… you know.”

Seyn didn’t _know_ , know, but did know that Iden and Del had been busy. And with that came, well, this.

“Del’s going to be so happy, Iden.” Seyn squeezed Iden’s hands gently. “And you’re going to have a lot of time to figure it out. Don’t worry.”

“I’m trying not to.” Iden pressed a hand to her belly. “I really hope it’s a boy.” 

“This is so _exciting!”_ Seyn gushed. “Let me know how it goes, and what the plans are. You two will need to shop, and-“ her eyes widened. “I’m going to make the baby a little hat. What color? Never mind, I’ll do one blue and one pink, just in case.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I _want_ to.”

“You know, you’ll be a great mother too, Seyn.”

 _Oh._ Iden hadn’t really heard about Seyn’s self proclaimed romance (or lack of it). 

“I don’t want to be a mother.” Seyn said. “But I _can_ be the cool aunt.”

“I think Shriv will be right behind you with ‘cool uncle’.”

Iden reached out to hug the younger girl- Seyn realized how much more physical Iden became once she’d stopped being a soldier, and she couldn’t refuse a good hug. She melted right into it. 

“Thanks for the advice.” Iden said when they parted. “I need to go… well, prepare, I guess.”

“Remember, Iden. You have nothing to worry about.”

Iden smiled as she walked out.

>v<>v<>v<

Seyn had been so very right. Del was over the moon at the prospect of fatherhood, and his joy was contagious. Everyone aboard the _Corvus_ rejoiced when, months later, Iden Versio gave birth to a healthy baby, one of the new generation of “victory babies” born after the Empire’s fall. And how fitting for them. All the members of Inferno Squad had waited so desperately for the war to end, and now, it was. This child was going to grow up safe. 

You could hear the baby screaming from outside the medbay. Shriv and Seyn waited, the Duros making remarks like “well, at least we know its lungs are okay” and “there goes my sleep schedule”, but Seyn knew he was happy for them. They were now, officially, “cool aunt” and “cool uncle”. 

“What do you think they’re gonna name him?” Shriv asked. “Did Iden mention it?”

“I think she told me she liked the name Chaol for a boy, and she wanted to name a girl after her mother. So, until we know the gender, I can’t tell you.”

“I think it’s a girl. Only girls complain that much.” 

Seyn made a face at him, but he was obviously teasing. “Well, I think it’s a boy. I think it’s Chaol.”

She was right.

A beaming Del Meeko came outside to bade them enter after ten minutes or so of chatting. Iden and Chaol were both doing great, he reported, and Seyn elbowed Shriv like “I was right”.

“Well, would you look at that.”Shriv murmured, looking down at his new “nephew”. As far as he was concerned, it was much simpler just to call him his kid, but he wouldn’t do that around Iden and Del.

“You look tired, Del.” Seyn teased the new father, and he chuckled and ducked his head as she leaned over to see the baby better. He was wearing the blue hat she’d made (Iden made sure of it). “And you, Iden, look great.”

“Hush, Seyn. At least _you’re_ never gonna push a baby out of you.” Iden said as she lounged against her pillows and stretched her legs, but she was smiling as she adjusted Chaol so Seyn could better see his face. It was already obvious that he had the small Versio nose and Iden’s dark eyes, but his hair was just a bit lighter than dark, closer to Del’s.

“I am looking forward to a week of wearing nothing but my pajamas and getting absolutely no sleep for the rest of the year.” Iden said sarcastically, but it was still clear she was very much okay with a future as such.

“And _I_ am looking forward to spoiling him rotten.” Seyn said. 

Del and Shriv were engrossed in their own conversation, but the former looked over and smiled when he saw Iden pass Chaol to Seyn. 

“Oh, he’s heavy.”Seyn said, eyes widening.

“Almost four whole kilos. Guarantees me c-sections if we have any more, because future babies are only going to get better. I should have thought twice before marrying a man who was two meters tall.”

“Do you _want_ any more-”

“Seyn, don’t ask me that. I had to get stitches where I didn’t think stitches could go.”

Seyn chuckled again, and looked down at Chaol. “Hey, there, buddy. I’m your auntie Seyn, and if there’s ever a time when your mom and dad won’t get you something, just come to me and I’ll say yes.”

The baby didn’t respond at all, he was busy exercising his cramped muscles and keeping his eyes shut against the light of the medbay. He turned his head in the direction of Seyn’s voice, though, so she knew he heard him. 

“And you’ll babysit for free, right?” Iden joked.

“I’ll pay _you_ to babysit him.”Seyn joked right back. “Aren’t you tired? You should rest.”

“It’s the middle of the day. I can’t sleep during the day no matter how much I try.”

Seyn still gave her a look, but then handed Chaol back as he got fussy. As soon as Iden laid him on her chest, he calmed a bit, but began smacking his lips in a way that had to mean he was hungry. 

“And that’s our cue to go. Come on, Shriv! Let’s go share the good news!”

The Duros bade farewell to the new family, and he and Seyn went off to do just that.


End file.
